


Thanksgiving

by Dee_in_between



Series: Crybaby Verse [2]
Category: The Walking Dead (TV)
Genre: Blended family, But every parent slips up now and again, Daryl almost runs away, Daryl's first Thanksgiving, Diapers, Emotional Hurt/Comfort, Happy Ending, Holidays, Infantilism, Jealous Daryl Dixon, Lori is Shane's half sister in this AU, Multi, Pacifier - Freeform, Shane loses his patience
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2017-01-16
Updated: 2017-01-16
Packaged: 2018-09-17 19:29:29
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 8,564
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/9339827
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Dee_in_between/pseuds/Dee_in_between
Summary: Daryl couldn’t help himself. He hadn’t seen the others in so long. He couldn’t wait to have everybody all together at the same table. It would be like all those families he used to see in the holiday commercials on TV and pretend he was a part of. It would be his very first real Thanksgiving.Of course, not everything goes the way he had hoped when Abraham brings his special someones to dinner. Suddenly, Daryl isn't the only baby.





	

**Author's Note:**

> So I never even considered Abe/Carol but after reading [Running With The Devil](http://archiveofourown.org/works/7960498) by Bennyhatter I fell in love with it. It's a fantastic story that just completed and you should all go read it. Particularly if you like Rickyl horse racing AUs. I've also made Lori Shane's half sister in this universe.

Daryl woke earlier than usual, nervous excitement thrumming through him. The sun was just starting to come up and he knew Papa and Daddy would still be tired. But he couldn’t help himself. He sat up in the crib, scooting over to the bars and using them to pull himself to his knees. 

“M’awake now,” he called. Daryl stared at the door, waiting patiently for it to open. Sometimes took longer than others but he knew they heard him. They always heard him. Sure enough, Rick came in, the door creaking open. He looked more tired than usual, giving a jaw cracking yawn as he approached the crib. 

“You are awake, huh,” he said with a smile, seeing Daryl bright eyed and practically bouncing with energy. “Well at least you’re in a good mood. Let’s get you changed.” 

Daryl still never liked this part but it was just a fact of life at this point. Like getting his face washed or eating his vegetables. But today he was too excited to complain even a little bit. He held his arms out for Rick and he hefted Daryl up and onto his hip. 

Prepared for the usual squirming and complaints, he laid Daryl on the changing table, unzipping the fleece footed pajamas and easing his legs out of them. Daryl hid behind his blanky like he always did for diaper changes but he stayed very still for this one, not whining once. 

“We are pleasant this morning, aren’t we,” Rick said with a smile. He got Daryl into a fresh diaper and started to tuck him back into his PJ’s but Daryl protested, pulling his feet away. 

“No jammies,” he argued. 

“Why no jammies? This is your favorite pair.”

“Can’t wear jammies to dinner, Daddy,” Daryl told him like it was the most obvious thing in the world. “Gotta get dressed.”

Rick laughed, kissing Daryl’s belly. “Well I’m glad you’re so excited but dinner isn’t until later. I don’t know if the others are even awake yet and everyone has to get things cooked.”

“We can go help,” Daryl supplied. Rick couldn’t help but smile at how eager Daryl was when just a few months ago he would have been a wreck about the whole thing. He didn’t want to dampen that eagerness but six in the morning was a little too early to show up at someone’s house. 

“I’m glad you’re so happy to see everyone. But we have things we have to do first.” He tucked Daryl’s feet back into his jammies, this time only with mild protest. “And Papa had to work last night, remember?”

“Oh,” Daryl said softly. He’d forgotten about that. When Papa had to work nights he needed to sleep longer so he wasn’t grumpy. While Papa could be grumpy, Daddy was downright scary if you woke him up after he worked at night. “How long do we gotta wait?”

“Well it’s six now. We go pick up Nana at ten.”

Daryl groaned, covering his face with his blanky again in frustration. “That’s forever, Daddy!”

“I promise it’ll go faster than you think. We only got two-and-a-half hours until it’s time to wake up Papa.” He picked Daryl up again, giving him his good morning kiss as they made their way downstairs. “In the meantime, you can watch cartoons or help Daddy make a pie. What do you think?”

Daryl loved to help and getting to make something that would go to the dinner with them had him even more excited. “Pie,” he answered animatedly. “How do we make it!”

Rick smiled and set Daryl on his feet in the kitchen. “Well first you wash your hands.”

\----------------------------

Peanut butter pie turned out being messier than Daryl expected but he got to test the extra filling with Daddy and he decided it was worth the early bath. Rick wrapped him in a towel, drying him off despite his wiggling. 

“Alright, alright,” he laughed, draping the towel over Daryl’s head like a cloak. “Now we need to wake Papa up-” Daryl was off like a shot, speeding directly for their bedroom. “After we get you dressed,” Rick called after him but Daryl was already through the door. He jumped onto the bed, bouncing happily. 

“Papa, you gotta wake up,” he shouted. “Wake up, wake up! We gotta go get Nana so we can go to dinner!”

Shane groaned into the pillow. He was going to kill whoever stuck him on the late shift last night of all nights. He was still so tired but he couldn’t be too upset. Not when he could hear how happy their baby was. Daryl moved closer, crawling up to Shane’s head when he didn’t open his eyes. 

“Papa,” he whined. He tugged one of Shane’s eyelids open to try and get his attention.“We can’t go if you don’t wake up.”

Shane hummed sleepily, giving Daryl a smile. “Five more minutes,” he murmured, rolling over dramatically so Daryl was trapped beneath his arm. He hugged him tight when Daryl started to squirm. “This is the wiggliest teddy bear I’ve ever seen,” he teased. “Rick, where’d you get this thing?”

“Papaaa,” Daryl half whined half laughed. He pushed at Shane’s arm. “C’mon. It’s morning. We gotta get ready.”

Shane lifted his head, blinking his eyes open and looking down at Daryl. “Hey. You ain’t a teddy bear,” he said. “You’re just a naked little wiggle worm.” He tickled Daryl’s belly, making the boy wriggle more and giggle as he tried to escape. 

“Papa,” Daryl protested through giggles. “Daddy, help!” 

Rick came to the bed with a laugh of his own, picking Daryl up. “Alright, alright. C’mon, Papa. Go get in the shower so I can get in. You don’t wanna keep Mama waitin’.”

“I’m goin’,” Shane told him. He finally sat up and stretched. “You sure you got him? He’s a squirmy little thing today.”

“I got it,” Rick reassured. “Go on. And make it quick. We’re goin’ to get dressed, right, bubba?”

Daryl nodded, letting Rick carry him back into his own room. He’d been looking forward to this all week. Nana had bought special outfits for the three of them, insisting she wanted pictures. Papa didn’t seem too happy about it but Daryl couldn’t wait. By nine thirty they were all bathed and dressed to go in matching khakis, light blue collared shirts and tan sweater vests. 

“Man, I feel like this thing’s chokin’ me,” Shane protested, tugging at the button of his shirt. 

“But you’re gonna wear it,” Rick told him firmly. Shane looked unimpressed and just overall uncomfortable. “Just until we get the pictures done with? Please?”

Shane huffed a sigh. “You’re lucky I love you,” he told Rick with a kiss. He turned his attention to Daryl. “We got extra diapers, extra wipes, spare set of clothes for all of us and an extra pacifier. Anything we’re forgetting?”

Daryl thought it over for a moment, staring at the bag. “Can we take Pupper,” he asked. Shane smiled, ruffling Daryl’s hair despite Rick’s frustrated groan. “Of course we can, bud.” 

Rick huffed as Shane headed upstairs to grab the blanket and tried again to get Daryl’s hair back in order. Daddy always said his hair had personality but Daryl was pretty sure that was just a nice way of saying it was messy. No matter what they tried there was one section that just wouldn’t lay right but Daddy had tried really hard today, even going so far as to use some of Papa’s hair gel. 

“Let him be,” Shane said, batting his husband’s hands away gently as he came back down the stairs. “Picture won’t look like him without that bit stickin’ up anyway. Her ya go, Puppy.” He handed Daryl the blanket and he hugged the stuffed dog head to him immediately. 

“Can we go now,” he asked, bouncing on his toes impatiently. 

“Yes, we can go now,” Rick told him. “Alright. Everyone in the car.”

Daryl ran to the door happily, waiting for them to join him. He’d been waiting all week for this. Shane got him buckled into his car seat and climbed in on his other side, Rick taking the driver’s seat. Nana always sat in front when she went places with them. She was nice and Daryl liked her. Especially when she came to babysit. She was older, about the same age as Hershel and very active. They pulled up outside her house and Papa got out to help her carry her things to the car. Nana always cooked for an army. 

“Is that my Daryl I see,” she greeted as she climbed into the passenger’s seat. 

“Hi, Nana,” he answered. “I made a pie.”

“Did you? Well I can’t wait to try it,” She told him with a proud smile.

Daryl shook his head. “You gotta. Papa and Daddy says dinner first.” He frowned as everyone started to laugh. What was so funny about that? It was the rules.

“That’s exactly right, Puppy,” Shane told him, reaching over and mussing his hair.

“Shane Walsh, don’t make me hurt you,” Rick warned, staring his partner down in the rearview mirror. 

With Nana and her side dishes, including her famous mashed potatoes, safely in the car they were off. Daryl stared out the window the whole ride as the grown ups chatted back and forth about work and the news and other boring stuff. Things started to look familiar and Daryl began to fidget in his carseat. The tightly grouped houses slowly became more dispersed, eventually giving way to open fields and pastures. He pointed out the cows and horses enthusiastically as they passed them by and his daddies gave cheerful responses of “That’s right,” or “We see them, bud”. When they turned off onto the dirt drive Daryl was bouncing anxiously. Almost there. Past the mailbox. Almost there. Past the cow pasture. Almost there. Into the gravel parking block beside the massive, old, plantation style house. 

“We’re here,” Daryl shouted. He was immediately wriggling against his straps, trying to pull Shane’s hand over to unbuckle him. 

“Alright, alright,” Papa laughed. “Settle down, bud. Give us just a minute.”

Daryl couldn’t help himself. He hadn’t seen the others in so long. He couldn’t wait to have everybody all together at the same table. It would be like all those families he used to see in the holiday commercials on TV and pretend he was a part of. It would be his very first real Thanksgiving. Daryl didn’t give Rick the chance to pick him up once his door was open and the buckle was undone. He was out of the car with gravel crunching beneath his shoes and ready to bolt for the porch. 

“Daryl, wait for us,” Rick called after him. Daryl didn’t register the shout, too excited to get inside with everyone. As he rounded the corner, a strong arm caught him around the middle and swung him into the air. There was a moment of fear for Daryl, stomach dropping and body going stiff.

“You wouldn’t be tryin’ to get outta helpin’ your Daddies would you,” a gruff voice asked, light and playful.

The rough timbre and familiar shock of red hair put Daryl at ease and he went lax in the man’s hold. “Aberham,” he whined, kicking his feet. “Lemme down.”

The farm hand gave a warm laugh and hoisted the boy higher onto his shoulder. “No can do, pup. You heard the man. You gotta wait for everyone.” He carried the boy back toward the car before setting him on his feet, leaving him to huff in annoyance at being delayed further. 

“Good to see ya, man,” Shane greeted, clasping hands and clapping him on the shoulder. “We finally gonna meet this new lady we been hearin’ so much about?”

Abraham grimaced, mustache fluffing with his displeasure. “I see the old man’s as good a secret keeper as his son in law,” he groused. 

Rick chuckled, handing the diaper bag to Shane who hoisted it onto his shoulder. “Turns out Herschel keeps a secret just fine. The son in law is where you went wrong.” Glenn kept a secret about as well as an open window kept out rain. Maggie was the only thing that had kept him from spilling the beans about their own baby until they were out of the danger zone. 

“Yeah. We can always count on a personal delivery from the Rhee’s pizza shop when there’s somethin’ worth tellin’,” Shane agreed with a grin. “So come on. Who is she?”

Abraham could never stay angry for long. Particularly when he had something to be excited about. He broke into a smile, eyes twinkling happily. “She’s a hell of a lady, I’ll tell you that. And it ain’t just one.” 

Daryl tilted his head, confused but Abraham didn’t give anything away. “You mind your language in front of our boy now,” Nana warned, no real reprimand in her tone. 

“Sorry about that, Ma’am,” Abraham apologized, taking Nana’s hand to help her out of the car. She waved him off, coming out to stand in the center of their small group. She was at least two heads smaller than all of them but that didn’t deter her in the slightest. 

“All this Ma’am business. I am not that old sugar. Call me Dottie. Please.” She smiled to Daryl, holding a hand out for him. “Now how about we go say hello instead of congregating out here the whole time. It isn’t polite y’know.” Daryl grinned and took her hand, thrilled to finally be going inside. 

“You remember. You can’t pull on Nana, now,” Shane warned.

“I know Papa. Gotta walk nice,” he reassured. Shane nodded his approval and they started toward the house. Shane, Rick and Abraham had a crockpot each, Rick balancing the pie precariously on top of his. Daryl didn’t hesitate to push the door open and rush inside.

“We’re here,” he called, hurrying to the kitchen where he could see Beth and Aunt Lori at the stove. Each of them turned to Daryl with smiles, Lori returning his hug when he threw himself at her and running her fingers through his hair. 

“Hey there, sweetheart,” she greeted. She pulled him back a step to look him over from head to toe. “Don’t you look extra handsome today.” 

Daryl blushed, hugging Pupper tighter and shuffling awkwardly in front of her. “Nana bought ‘em for pi’tures.” Lori gave him a kiss on the forehead, telling him again that he looked very nice. 

Hearing a gurgling sound from behind him, Daryl turned. He was startled to find a woman he’d never seen before sat at the small breakfast table. She was a thin, frail looking thing, young, hair prematurely gray and she looked nervous. She wouldn’t look directly at Daryl and instead kept her gaze low and fixed on some other point. New people weren’t always easy for Daryl and he tucked himself a bit behind Lori, his thumb coming up to his lips.

“Ah,ah,” Shane scolded as he entered the room. He gently batted Daryl’s hand away, giving him one of his pacifiers instead. The gurgling sound came again and Daryl’s eyes flitted down to the toddler seated on the woman’s lap. A little girl with golden hair and happy blue eyes. 

“Daryl, this is Carol and Sophia,” Lori told him. She nudged him gently forward and he stood in front of them, wringing his blanket in his hands and sucking on the pacifier. He never knew what to say around new people and it always made him nervous. 

“Just say hi, bud. They ain’t gonna bite,” Shane said. Daryl shook his head, taking Shane’s hand in his and moving to hide behind his Papa. “Daryl,” he scolded gently. He didn’t push though, knowing Daryl had his limits and he would come around in time. “Don’t mind any a that. He’s just bashful at first. He’ll be talkin’ your ear off before you know it.” Shane extended a hand in greeting and Carol took it. “Shane Walsh-Grimes. That’s my partner, Rick,” he gestured to his husband in the next room talking with Abraham, “And this is our son, Daryl. Looks like you already met my sister.”

“Same dad, different moms,” Lori explained. Daryl remembered Papa explaining it to him once. That his dad had left when he was young and that when the man had finally passed away he and Aunt Lori met at the funeral, finding out they were siblings. They stayed in touch and ended up being very close. Papa called her almost every day and when he didn’t she called him. Lately there had been a lot of discussions between them and Daddy about Daddy being a donor, whatever that meant.

“I can see the resemblance,” Carol said, giving a smile more to Lori than to Shane. She was soft spoken and Shane seemed to make her nervous. Her eyes stayed on Lori, flitting over to Shane occasionally and when she spoke to him directly she focused her gaze somewhere past his shoulder instead of meeting his eyes. “It’s nice to meet you. Abraham’s told me so much about you all. Your boy’s beautiful.”

Daryl clung tighter to Shane’s shirt, sucking his pacifier and blushing red at the compliment. “We’re pretty fond of him ourselves,” Shane laughed. “Daryl, what do you say?”

He peeked his head out from behind Shane’s shoulder, eyes cutting to the side. “Fank ya,” he said, muffled around the pacifier. Shane smiled proudly at his boy. “And this little princess is almost too cute,” Shane said, leaning down to grin and coo at little Sofia. The little girl giggled at him and Shane smiled wider, pulling a face to make her laugh again. “Been awhile since we had a peanut like you around.”

Daryl watched the exchange, something in him unsettled by it. Seeing his Papa playing with her made his tummy feel funny and he found himself wanting to tug on him and demand the man’s attention. Sofia let out a squeal, flailing her chubby little arms in delight as Abraham walked in. Carol bounced the little girl on her knee and laughed quietly. Sofia would not be deterred and she reached for the man with grabby hands. “Abraham has things to do right now, sweety,” Carol tried again.

“Nonsense,” Abraham scoffed. “Walsh can wait a minute to get his butt whooped.” He scooped the little girl up, his arms dwarfing her with the kind of muscle that only came from hard work. “Besides, this little pancake is worth delay of game.” 

“So I take it this is the other girl you were talkin’ about,” Rick said, coming to join the rest of them in the steadily crowding kitchen. He draped an arm around Shane, hand clasping his opposite hip and Shane curled an arm around his husband’s shoulders in return. 

“Babe, this is Carol and Sofia. The lovely ladies who tamed our savage beast,” Shane explained, giving their friend a teasing grin. 

Rick laughed in turn. “Well it’s nice to meet you both.” He reached for Sophia with his free hand, the little girl grasping onto his finger. Daryl’s gut clenched at the sight. He was moving before he even had time to think, circling behind Shane to get to Rick. Fingers curled in the hem his vest and he gave two quick tugs. As predicted, Rick turned. “Don’t do that, bubba. You’ll stretch it out.” As quickly as it had come, his attention was gone again. Their focus was back on Sofia.

Daryl frowned slipping a finger into the man’s pocket instead. “Daddy,” he called softly. Rick turned again, glancing to Daryl with a questioning sound. Daryl reached his arms out much the same way as Sophia had. “Want up.”

“Is that so,” Rick asked in surprise. He turned completely to face Daryl, hefting the other up and settling him on his hip. “It must really be a special occasion. You never let me hold you when there’s this many people to talk to.” Daryl just shrugged and laid his head on Rick’s shoulder. 

“Alright, alright. The kitchen’s only so big and us ladies got work to do,” Lori announced, ushering them all out of the room. “Go play your little game and let us get on with it.”

They all started filing out, Aunt Lori whipping at Papa with a towel when he tried to snag a biscuit on the way out. Of course he got it anyway and he made sure to stuff half of it in his mouth in front of her before they moved to the living room. Daryl giggled at the pair of them. 

“Is Papa bein’ an instigator,” Rick asked him, bouncing Daryl on his hip. 

“Yup,” Daryl nodded. 

When they reached the living room, Rick sat Daryl on the floor by the coffee table. Nana had already taken up a space on the sofa, Herschel having settled in beside her. He couldn’t walk so well anymore so Abraham had taken over most of the chores and farm work. Despite the cane, the old man was still as vibrant as he’d ever been and Daryl always enjoyed the older man’s company. 

“There he is. We were just talking about you,” he said, the corners of his eyes wrinkling with a smile almost hidden by the beard he had allowed to grow in. He tapped the rubber end of his cane on top of the table. “How about you check under there? Might find something interesting.”

Daryl smiled and reached excitedly beneath the table where baskets of toys and games were stored. True to the man’s word, Daryl found a new basket. Inside was a tall stack of coloring books and a plastic container that held more crayons than Daryl had ever seen in one place. 

 

“Wow,” he shouted. Soft laughs passed through the room as he took the first book from the pile, super heroes, and immediately started sifting through the pages for one he wanted to work on. The clear of a throat caught his attention and Daryl turned to look at his daddies. Rick nodded toward Herschel, giving Daryl an expectant look. It took him a moment to puzzle it out but he realized his error. “Oh,” he said softly, turning back to the old man. “Fank ya, Herschel.”

Herschel gave a nod. “You’re very welcome. Thought we needed to start building our collection a bit more now that we’re going to have three little ones around.” 

Daryl picked out a picture of Captain America and Iron Man fighting together and started in on it. He was trying extra hard to keep inside the lines so he could give it to Herschel to put on his fridge like his daddies did at home. Conversation picked up around him, fading into background noise. Daryl switched from red to blue, coloring the ring of the shield. He moved on to Captain America’s suit next. It was the most important part since some of it overlapped with Iron Man and he didn’t want to get any blue on that. The whole picture would be ruined. He was getting ready to switch to gold when one particular sentence jumped out at him. 

“You wanna hold her?”

Daryl turned, watching wide-eyed as Shane happily took Sofia into his lap. He rocked in the arm chair with her and played with her hands, tickled her belly. Papa always tickled him. That was their thing, Daryl thought, the little girl’s shrieking laughter cutting through him like a knife. That sick feeling was back and he didn’t like it. Daryl set his crayon down, crawling the few feet to Shane’s chair and tugging on his pant leg. 

“Papa, up.”

Shane paused letting Sofia catch her breath. “I got Sofia right now, bud. Daddy’s lap is home free.”

Daryl frowned, shaking his head. He reached his arms up expectantly. “Wanna rock wif you.” 

“You can in a little bit. Why don’t you finish your picture?”

“But, Papa,” Daryl whined. 

“Daryl,” Rick warned gently. “What did Papa say?” 

Daryl’s chest clenched with the reprimand. He just wanted his Papa. He wanted Shane to spend time with him. It wasn’t fair. Daryl huffed, going back to the table. He didn’t want to color anymore. But Papa didn’t want him right now. He was too busy with Sofia. The little girl’s giggles and noises grated on Daryl’s nerves. Eventually he decided that finishing his picture was better than doing nothing and he started working on it again. 

The house started to fill with the smell of Turkey and gravy, stuffing and homemade cranberry sauce. It would be awhile yet. It was a big bird to feed everyone and that meant it was going to take time. The grown ups talked back and forth about football. Nana had turned on the TV to watch the parade and Daryl had gotten sucked in as well. His crayon was gripped in his hand, motionless as he watched the Balloons floating one by one down the street. A few of the characters were recognizable to Daryl like the Charlie Brown balloon and the Sesame Street float. When the Radio City Rockettes stopped to perform, Daryl’s eyes went wide. He watched intently as they all danced and kicked, moving fluidly and flawlessly in time with one another. 

He could vaguely hear talk of going out into the yard and nana giving nondescript reassurances before the door closed. The Rockettes moved on and the parade continued. Daryl finally turned away when the commercials came on. They weren’t as fun to watch as the colorful floats or the loud marching bands. When he looked back at his picture he found it missing. There was nothing but bare wood where his coloring book had once been which was baffling to Daryl. He was sure he had left the book there. The crayon was still gripped in his fist so he must have. Daryl never left anything behind when he cleaned up. 

A cheerful noise to his left made his heart sink. Sure enough, there was Sofia. She was sat on the rug beside him, crumpling and tearing all the pages as she went through the whole book. 

“No,” he shouted, reaching out and snatching the book away from her. He flipped through it frantically, hoping that maybe somehow his picture had gone untouched. Sofia, startled by the loud noise and upset at having her new toy taken, started to cry. 

“Daryl,” Nana called to him in that tone that meant he’d done something wrong. “You have to be nice to Sofia. She’s littler than you and you have to be careful.”

Daryl finally found his picture. Not only was it crumpled and torn but covered in drool. He frowned, looking up to his nana and holding it out. “But she took it,” he complained. “And she ruined my pi’ture.”

“She didn’t ruin it on purpose,” Herschel told him gently. “She doesn’t understand things the way you do. She doesn’t know any better and we have to be patient with her. There’s always more pictures.”

Daryl frowned, glaring at Sofia who had crawled over to pull herself up on the table and stand beside Daryl. He didn’t want to be patient. He wanted her to leave his things alone and he wanted her to leave him alone. He took his Pupper and tucked it into the crook of his arm, standing and moving out of the way when the baby tried to reach for him. 

“I wanna go outside wif Daddy and Papa,” he announced. Nana seemed a little disappointed but she gave in and let him go. 

“You stay on the porch unless they tell you otherwise. Understand?”

Daryl gave a nod and went out the front door. Anywhere Sofia couldn’t follow. The screen door shut behind him and he went to sit on the top step. Daddy, Papa and Abraham were running across the front yard, Abraham trying to get past his daddies. Abraham was strong but Papa had been a linebacker in high school and he still had a fair amount of bulk on him. The patch was lined with two rows of cones, making a long path across the browning grass. They had taken off their good clothes and were dressed in beat up old jeans and worn T-shirts. Daryl watched as his Papa clashed with Abraham, not letting him pass while Daddy took out his legs. He went down hard but he just laughed, tossing the football he had tucked in his arm to Rick and clasping hands with Shane when he reached out to help the redhead up. There was a conversation Daryl couldn’t make out, all of them smiling to each other before Shane caught sight of their boy where he was planted. 

“Does Nana know you’re out here,” he asked, the warning behind the words clear. Rick’s head turned up in surprise as well when he heard the question.

Daryl nodded. “She said not ta leave the porch ‘less you said I could.”

They both seemed satisfied with the answer and visibly relaxed. “Just as long as you asked,” Rick told him. “You gonna watch us play football?”

“But you don’t got helmets or nothin’,” Daryl observed. It was dangerous to play without that stuff, wasn’t it?

Shane gave a soft laugh. “We’ll be okay, bud. We’re careful and we do it every year.”

“Only one to ever get hurt was Glenn and that was because he doesn’t know the difference between level ground and a rabbit hole,” Abraham said, eyes sparkling and mustache fluffing with a barely contained laugh. Daryl giggled at the thought of it too. Who was silly enough to miss a rabbit hole?

As if summoned by their discussion, another car pulled into the drive. Maggie waved to them all from the passenger’s seat and Daryl jumped to his feet. “Maggie and Glenn,” he shouted excitedly. He was halfway down the steps when he caught himself, pausing and looking to his daddies for permission to leave the porch. The pair of them nodded and Daryl gave a bright smile before running over to greet the couple. 

Glenn was out of the car and at the passenger’s side, easing a heavily pregnant Maggie out to the ground. She was due in the next few weeks and Daryl thought she looked like she was hiding a melon in her shirt. He’d been fascinated with her belly since they’d told everyone the good news. Daryl had never really been around someone who was pregnant before and it was amazing to see how different she looked every time he saw her. She greeted Daryl as warmly as ever.

“Don’t you look handsome,” she said. 

“S’fer pi’tures,” Daryl told her. “Daddy put stuff in my hair n’everything. And I made a pie.” He was always excited to see Maggie and Glenn and he was eager to catch them up on everything. After nana, they were his favorite babysitters. Glenn was funny and he was good at playing the bad guy when they played super heroes. Maggie was too good and the last time she played bad guy Daryl had needed a little time to be okay with playing that game again. But she liked to do projects with Daryl and they were always fun. Last time they’d made magnets with his picture in them. One for each of his daddies to keep in their lockers at work. 

“Did you? I’m sure you did a great job.” Maggie took the strap of her bag and tried to hitch it over her shoulder only to have Glenn take it from her. 

“You’re not supposed to be lifting things,” he reminded her.

“I think I can manage one bag,” Maggie argued, clearly annoyed with the coddling but trying to be nice about it. 

Daryl reached out his hands, wanting to help. “I can do it,” he said. “I help Daddy and Papa carry bags lots’a times.” 

“Thank you, Daryl,” Glenn said, handing over the bag to the boy despite Maggie’s glare. “He wants to help,” he said with a shrug. “Are you really gonna tell him no?”

Finally, Maggie sighed. “Usin’ Daryl against me ain’t fair,” she warned but let it go for now. Daryl walked ahead of her and Glenn, carrying the bag along proudly and holding open the front door for them. Maggie B-lined for one of the arm chairs and sunk into it. Even the few porch stairs had her winded this late in the pregnancy and it was clear that as much as Maggie disliked it Glenn had been right in passing her bag off. Daryl waited until she was settled and handed it over.

“Thank you, sweet pea,” she told him with a smile. Daryl returned it, happy that he could do something to help Maggie. A tug on Maggie’s dress had her looking to the floor where Sofia was using the fabric to pull herself up. “And who is this,” Maggie cooed, lifting the little girl into her lap. 

Daryl frowned as Sofia made it into the spotlight yet again. He huffed to himself and sat at the coffee table. He didn’t get it. What was so great about her? She was too little to play or do anything. She drooled everywhere and made messes and she couldn’t even stand up on her own for very long. Why was everyone so interested in her? Abraham, Rick and Shane came inside to fetch Glenn so they could start their game but Sofia seemed to catch their attention as well when the little girl slipped from Maggie’s lap to toddle along on her own two feet. She didn’t make it far at all before she fell on her butt yet everyone was eating it up. Rolling his eyes, Daryl turned his attention back to the parade. Better than watching some kid trip over themselves. 

It wasn’t long before little hands gripped onto Daryl’s pants and he looked over in surprise. The little, blonde girl was looking up at him, gurgling and babbling at him. 

“Looks like you made a friend,” Shane said, ruffling Daryl’s hair. Daryl ducked the hand and moved away from Sofia. 

“Don’t need no more friends,” he huffed.

“Daryl,” Shane scolded, looking at him in surprise. 

Daryl just shrugged. He didn’t want to be friends with a dumb old baby who couldn’t do anything anyway. What was so great about Sofia? Out of the corner of his eye he saw Sofia grab at something and his heart sank. 

“No,” he shouted at her, grabbing onto the corner of Pupper and pulling it away. “He’s mine! Ya can’t have him!”

Shane frowned, looking entirely unimpressed with Daryl’s sudden attitude. “You can share Pupper for a minute. It won’t hurt ya to let Sofia see him.”

“Nuh uh!” Daryl had no intention of handing over his Pupper. Pupper had always been his and only his. 

“Daryl, you know better than to yell at Papa,” Rick reprimanded but Daryl didn’t care. He gave the blanket a yank, pulling it out of Sofia’s hands and sending her toppling over onto her back. An audible gasp went through the room as she started to cry and Abraham was quick to scoop her up.

“Alright, that’s it. Let’s go,” Shane said, voice hard as he took Daryl by the arm and pulled him to his feet. He pulled Daryl along and Daryl couldn’t help but feel afraid. He knew Shane wouldn’t hurt him but the situation was too familiar not to have an affect on him. Shane was angry. Daryl could tell. He was never angry when he talked to Daryl. Neither was Rick. The two of them had always talked firmly but calmly, making sure he understood what he’d done wrong and what was going to happen. But Shane wasn’t talking at all. 

He brought Daryl to the stairs and sat him down hard. “You sit here until I come get you. Do you understand me,” he hissed. Daryl couldn’t do anything but nod on reflex. Then Shane was gone. He was left alone, confused and hurt. He couldn’t see the others or what was happening but he could hear them cooing over Sofia as she cried. What about Daryl? He was upset too. Why did Sofia’s feelings matter more than his? Why did everyone care that she was crying and no one so much as looked at him as he sat here alone with quiet tears of his own? 

Because she’s a real baby, something in the back of his mind told him. Sofia was small and helpless and actually needed someone to take care of her. Daryl was just pretending. He wasn’t a real baby. He wasn’t good enough. Daryl sniffed and wiped at his eyes, hugging Pupper tightly. If he wasn’t good enough, if he wasn’t what his daddies wanted...then maybe they were better off without him. Daryl stared down at the blanket. He stared at the corner where his name had been stitched in, fraying and yellowing from being carried around so much. Just like his name had started to fade and fray, maybe the love he thought Rick and Shane had for him had started to deteriorate as well. Maybe he should let them go. Maybe it was time for them to have what they really wanted.

“Shane, we talked about this long before we even found him. That is not how we do things,” Rick hissed. He hadn’t liked the way Shane had dragged Daryl off. Not one bit. If the look on Shane’s face was anything to go by he wasn’t happy with himself either. 

“I know. I was upset and I let it get the better of me. I shouldn’t have. I know that.”

“Well you better make sure he knows that,” Rick told him. “Because you didn’t see the terrified look on his face when you just pulled him off like that.” 

Shane sighed. “His time is almost up. We’ll go talk to him and I’ll apologize for how I handled it. Okay?”

Rick nodded. It was too late to change what had happened but they could try and make it better. The timer on the microwave went off and the two of them went to talk to their boy together. 

“Daryl,” Shane started softly. “Papa shouldn’t have-” he stopped short when he turned the corner and found their baby was nowhere to be seen. His stomach sank instantly. Something wasn’t right. 

“Daryl,” Rick called, heading up the stairs in the hopes he was just hiding in one of the rooms. The sense of dread that filled him said otherwise. Shane turned to search the lower floor when something blue caught his eye.

There, sitting at the top of the porch steps looking lost and out of place, was Pupper with Daryl nowhere in sight. Dread turned to panic. “Rick!”

\------------------------------------

Daryl realized once he was beyond the yard that he really had no idea where he was going. The farm was a long way away from anything else. Even if he made it to town he had no money. No one to call. Nowhere to go. There was Merle but who knew where he was by now. All Daryl knew for sure was that he couldn’t go back. There was only one real chance but it required taking things. He didn’t want to steal. Especially not from Herschel. He could bring the things back later, he reasoned, when he could make it without them. Just enough to make a few traps and to skin and butcher what he caught. 

He was leaving. He was really leaving. Daryl swallowed hard as he entered the stables. He’d been riding before. He’d shared a horse with Rick or Shane though. Never by himself. He reasoned that it couldn’t be that hard. He’d watched Abraham tack them up enough times and he’d watched how Daddy and Papa...Rick and Shane, he corrected himself...had lead and controlled them. The nearest horse lifted her head and looked at Daryl with big, doe eyes. 

Daryl knew this mare well. Nelly was a sweet girl, a chestnut with a nervous disposition that made her a bit risky to ride on the deer trails of the backwoods but they understood each other. She nickered softly at him and approached the door of her stall, as if calling him to her. Daryl approached her easily, and the mare dropped her head for him to pet. “Hi, Nelly,” he said softly, stroking down her muzzle. She whuffled at him and lipped at his vest, something that used to scare Daryl before he learned it was how horses said they liked you and that the gentle girl would never dream of biting him. 

Pressing his forehead to the whorl of hers, he sighed. “I gotta go now,” he told her, voice cracking with emotion at saying the words out loud. “Gotta leave. Papa-” Daryl shook his head, heart hurting as he forced himself to use their real names. “Shane and Rick...they don’t want me no more.”

Nelly gave a snort, butting at Daryl’s chest as if in disbelief. “S’true,” he argued back. “They don’t...they want a real baby. Like Sofia. I ain’t,” his throat constricted, a lump forming as he tried and failed to stop the tears. “I ain’t good enough.” 

Nelly whinnied at him, pressing the velvety softness of her nose against his cheek and blowing over his face. Daryl couldn’t help it anymore. A sob forced it’s way out of him and he took the beast’s head in his hands, taking the comfort she had to offer. Nelly hooked her chin over the boy’s shoulder and tugged him closer. Her massive head draped over his back and he wrapped his arms around her neck as he sobbed against her. Her light coat turned dark with tears as he cried.

“They wan’ a real baby. I’m just pretend,” he choked out. “I don’t make ‘em happy no more. Made Papa mad at me.” He sniffed and hugged Nelly tighter. The old girl gave a gentle sound against his back and tucked her chin in a way Daryl could pretend was her returning the gesture. He pressed his face into her as it all spilled out. 

“They like her better,” he sniffed. “Even Nana. And s’gonna get worse when Maggie’s baby comes.” Daryl gave another broken sob, hands curling into fists. “They’ll gimme back. I don’t wanna go back to the ‘doption place. I wan’ my bed and my toys.” Thinking of all the things he’d be losing, Daryl’s heart crumbled. It left a hole in his chest and he felt sick. “I wan’ my daddies,” he sobbed brokenly.

A pair of strong arms curled around Daryl suddenly, pulling him away from Nelly. The mare screamed her discontent, kicking at the walls as her boy was stolen away from her and Daryl felt panic overtake him. He pushed at the arms wrapped around his middle like iron bands, kicking and fussing to try and break free but they didn’t give in. Instead, they turned Daryl around to face his captor. 

“It’s okay,” a familiar but absolutely crushed sounding voice told him. “Daryl, look at me. It’s okay.” Shane was there looking just as decimated as Daryl was. His eyes shone with emotion as he took Daryl’s face in his hands, looking the boy over. “You’re okay. Baby, look at me. Are you hurt?”

Stunned, Daryl just shook his head. Shane was so upset. But why? The man crushed Daryl to his chest in relief, hugging him so tight it hurt to breathe. “C’mere,” he murmured, lifting Daryl so his legs wrapped around his hips. Desperate kisses covered his hair, his face and he was carried to the door of the stables. 

“I got him,” Shane called, walking out into the openness of the Greene farmland. “He’s okay. I got him.” Daryl could hear shouts of relief. People were running toward them and he buried himself against Shane as he waited for the yelling to start. Instead, there was immediately someone plastered to his back. 

“Baby, what happened,” Rick’s frantic voice asked, fingers combing through his hair. “You scared the life out of us. We didn’t know where you were. We thought somethin’ happened to you.”

They were worried about him. They’d been afraid. Seeing the two of them so worked up over his disappearance made his heart ache both for causing them pain and for the proof that they must still care about him somehow. 

“Thought ya didn’ w-want me no more,” he cried, rubbing the tears from one eye while he clung to Shane. 

“Why would you ever think that,” Rick asked. He was tearing up too, heartbroken at hearing that Daryl had thought such a thing. 

Daryl clung tighter to Shane, sniffling and hiding away in the man’s shoulder. “Cause I ain’t a real baby,” he cried. “Not like Sofia.”

Shane hugged him tighter, kissing his temple. “You’re right. You’re not like Sofia,” he answered, voice wavering. “You’re Daryl. And out of all the babies we could have had, we chose you.” He pulled Daryl gently back, meeting the boy’s teary eyes with his own that threatened to spill over at any moment. “We _chose_ you, Daryl. Because we love you. Of course we like Sofia. But you? You’re ours. And no matter what we always, _always_ love you best.”

“No one could ever replace you,” Rick told him. “If we lost you? God, I don’t know what we’d do.” He pressed his forehead to Daryl’s, fingers tangling in his hair. “We love you, baby. Don’t you ever doubt that.” 

Daryl sniffed as the tears started anew. He clung to the pair of them, choking sobs shaking his body. He still had his Daddies. He was still loved and wanted. The others were watching from the various places they’d been searching. They all seemed so relieved and Daryl was overwhelmed by the care they had for him. He had been so sure he was being replaced but everyone had been so afraid and worried. 

“M’sorry,” he cried. Daddy and Papa tried to soothe him as they headed back toward the house. 

“It’s okay,” Daddy said.

“You’re safe. That’s what matters,” Papa reassured. “But don’t you ever do that again. You understand?”

“Never,” Daryl sniffed. Shane carried him inside and up the stairs. They went straight for the guest room Herschel had offered for naps when they came to visit. It offered them privacy until they all calmed down and Daryl was grateful to have the time alone with his daddies. 

The three of them cuddled up on the bed with Daryl in the middle. They took their time, just drinking in each other’s presence until things settled. After he’d finally quieted down for a bit, Daryl spoke.

“M’sorry I scared ya,” he said softly. 

Papa sighed, pressing a kiss to his forehead. “It ain’t all your fault.” He gave Daryl a squeeze, looking guilty. “I shouldn’t have yelled at you. That’s not how we handle things.”

“We knew somethin’ was goin’ on,” Daddy continued. “We should have talked to you about it sooner. It never should have gotten that bad.” 

Daryl hugged the pillow beneath his head, hiding half his face into it. “Y’all were so excited 'bout Sofia. Kept sayin’ I hadda be nice to her when she was takin’ stuff, ruined my pi’ture and everybody wanted to play wif her.” He looked up at Rick with the puppy eyes that always cropped up when he was upset. “Felt like ever’body liked her better. Thought ya didn’t like me no more.”

“We told you, sweetness,” Rick said, brushing his bangs out of his face. “We chose you. We love you more than anything in this world. Sometimes Sofia or the other babies may need more help and attention but that doesn’t mean we like them better.”

Shane hummed his agreement. “No matter what, you are always our favorite. And if you’re feelin’ let out then you gotta talk to us.”

Daryl nodded, snuggling between them. “Can we go back to Fanksgivin’ now,” he asked quietly. 

“We sure can, bud.”

The three of them sat up and Daryl held his Daddy’s hand, following him down the stairs. The rest of the group were gathered in the living room, waiting for the trio to rejoin them before starting dinner. Little Sofia was sat in Lori’s lap this time. As he spotted her, Daryl’s stomach did a flip. She had Pupper and was chewing on one of his ears like nothing was amiss. He knew Sofia was littler than him. He knew she wasn’t doing it to be mean. But this was Pupper and Daryl just couldn’t bring himself to share something so important. 

He let go of Rick’s hand and crossed to the coffee table. All eyes were on him, the group clearly nervous after last time Sofia had laid hands on the toy. But Daryl knelt on the floor and started digging through a basket. When he found what he was looking for, he made his way over to Sofia. 

“Pupper’s mine,” he told her. “Ya can’t have him. But you could play with this one, ‘kay?” Daryl held up the little lamb he’d pulled out of the basket. It was a soft and fluffy fabric, the head, legs and arms stuffed but the body empty and loose. It was the closest thing to Pupper he could find. Sofia burbled happily, reaching out for it with grabby hands and Daryl handed it over, taking Pupper while she was busy hugging the new toy. 

“That was very nice of you, Daryl,” Rick praised. 

Shane smiled approvingly. “Think you might have changed your mind about makin’ friends?”

Daryl shrugged as he watched the baby play with the replacement and wiped the drool off of Pupper. “She’s okay I guess,” he said. That earned him a few chuckles from around the room. He meant it though. He could get used to having her around. He could get used to Maggie’s baby too. And any others that came along. Just as long as he was still his daddies’ favorite.

Dinner was better than he imagined and Daryl even got to sit between his daddies at the big table. It was just like Daryl had wanted. Their big, mixed and matched family all together enjoying the food and each other. It was the kind of thing Daryl had given up on a long time ago yet here he was. The only thing missing was Merle but maybe one day he would come around to the others enough to join them. When dinner was over they all played games and Glenn even let him win go fish. Everyone told Daryl how good his pie was and it was almost an hour past his bedtime when they finally loaded up into the van to go home. 

Exhausted but happy, Daryl started to doze the sound of hushed conversation and laughter easing him into sleep. It was everything he’d ever wanted and he was able to rest easy knowing he’d never have to give it up. He knew now that no matter what, his Daddies would always love him best.

**Author's Note:**

> Thanks for reading this [long overdue] side fic! I hope you enjoyed it. There's gonna be plenty more to come so keep an eye out and let me know what you think. :)


End file.
